Today's character is another child of my two OSE characters, Asabalom and Maryah. Aviva is the oldest and named after a witch they both knew. Aviva's current quest is to find the witch she was named after. The first Aviva is bit of a legend in my games, more "cautionary tale" than actual character. She was another "good witch" who slipped into demonology and diabolical magic. In truth she only exsists as a name in a history I wrote about the Warduchess. This Aviva is good, and she is seeking out the other Aviva to discover what went wrong. She has been travelling the world ever since.

Woman Stock photos by Adam Zubek-Nizol - Vecteezy

She began life as the daughter of a druid (Asabalom) and a ranger (Maryah), and her magic is very much "Green Witch"-style, but as she progressed, she became more distinct from both a Green Witch and Pagan witchcraft. 

Looking for her namesake has taken a while. Mostly because I am not 100% sure who the first Aviva actually is myself! But until then, this Aviva will keep looking for her.

Aviva Aamadu
21st level Human Witch, Neutral Good

Secondary Skill: Herbalist

S: 10
I: 15
W: 17
D: 12
C: 12
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 5
Petrify/Polymorph: 5
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 6
Breath Weapon: 8
Spells: 7

AC: 6 (leather armor +3)
HP: 46
THAC0: 12

Weapon
Dagger +3 1d4/1d3

Familiar: Hawk "N'dege"

Occult Powers
1st level: Familiar
7th level: Speak to Plants & Animals
13th level: Pass without Trace
19th level: Immunity of the Fae

Spells
Cantrips: Spark, Chill, Mend
First level: Call Spirits of the Land, Cure Light Wounds, Glamour, Elf Arrow, Message, Sharp Ear, Witch's Watchman, Night Vision
Second level: Animal Messenger, Chameleon, Aqualung, Clear Eyes, Fumble, Raven Spy, Ward of Harm, Evil Eye
Third level: Fly, Hold Person, Ash Storm, Dance of Frog, Nondetection, Spit Venom
Fourth level: Confusion, Charm Monster, Dispel Magic, Moonstruck, Witch Laugh
Fifth level:  Hold Monster, Witch Jar, Call the Swarm, Teleport
Sixth level: Eye Bite, Horror, Claws of the Eldest Crone, Wall of Thorns
Seventh level: Breath of the Goddess, Dreadful Sleep, Creeping Doom
Eighth level: Frightful Aspect, Storm of Vengenance, Storm Bolts

Theme Song: Edge of Midnight (it's a younger witch singing a song with an older witch, like my two Avivas.)

I love the ideas of both of my Avivas and want to do more with them. I just need to figure out who the older Aviva was and what her importance was to Asabalom and Maryah. Enough to name their oldest child after her. AND what happened to the first Aviva?

This Aviva is (unknown to her) on the same journey that Phygor was on in my deep history. So right now, she is in line to become one of my more powerful witches. Not intentionally, but her own personal journey is taking her there all the same. For this I have been taking powers and spells for her from all my books.

Honestly. I find that more interesting than how many orcs she has killed or dungeons she has explored.

 Yesterday, I posted one of my archwitches, Feiya, based on the Pathfinder Iconic. Today, I want to compare and contrast an archwitch and a witch priestess, my two advanced classes. And who better than my favorite witch couple, Saileach and Teamhair?

Who are Saileach and Teamhair? Well they are, in a nutshell, my D&D versions of Willow and Tara, my two favorite characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Or more to the point, my two favorite WitchCraft RPG characters of the same name and general background. Saileach and Teamhair are rough Irish Gaelic versions of their names. Much as my WitchCraft RPG versions have evolved and changed from their root, so have Saileach and Teamhair evolved from my WitchCraft RPG versions.

I used these characters back in the 3e days and they were a lot of fun. They are not exactly Willow and Tara anymore than Bodhmal and Liath aren't. In my games, witches cannot be raised from the dead or resurrected. They can, and often do, get reincarnated. So Bodhmal and Liath are early Iron Age versions, Saileach and Teanhair are mediveal/D&D versions and then Willow and Tara are modern day. Yes, I also have Victorian Age ones in William and Tamara, but here they are incarnated as brother and sister, exploring a sibling bond rather than a romantic one. This often happens in lore about reincarnation. 
(Note: Because there is confusion in some other places. I don't believe in reincarnation any more than I believe in dragons or pixies. This is all for a game. I am, and remain, a staunch atheist.)

So who are these two? Well, in D&D 3e, they began life as a would-be wizard sent to a convent (Saileach/Willow) and a druid wild woman (Teamhair/Tara). This is many years later now and they are proper witches, but each also pursues witchcraft from their own lens. So the path of the archwitch for Saileach and the path of the witch priestess for Teamhair.

As with Branwen and Eria they are members of the Daughters of the Flame Coven. One might even call them THE members since a lot of the Daughters of the Flame evolved because of the characters of Saileach, Teamhair, Bodhmal, and Liath. These versions of Saileach and Teamhair would be in charge of the coven with Teamhair acting as High Priestess. 

Archwitch vs Witch Priestess

The archwitch and the witch priestess are both "Advanced Classes."  They are like the Hierophant Druid and the Thief-Acrobat of the Unearthed Arcana and the Wizards of High Sorcery from the Dragonlance Adventures hardcover. 

I am still debating the powers these classes should have. Originally, I thought the archwitch would stop gaining occult powers in favor of other powers and 9th-level spell casting. The witch priestess does not have 9th-level spell options from the cleric. I want these two advanced classes to be roughly equal in power. 

I think 9th level spells should be the domain of the Witch Queen. Makes sense. Both archewitch and witch priestess should get spells from the Arcane and Divine lists, respectively.

But I am still torn on the Occult Powers question. I think I'll try these two with the spells, but no occult powers past level 7; they can take a level 7 occult power according to their tradition. Both still get cantrips and bonus spells for high charisma. 

Saileach
20th level Human Archwitch, Lawful Neutral

Secondary Skill: Scribe

S: 10
I: 18
W: 15
D: 11 
C: 12
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 7
Petrify/Polymorph: 7  
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 8
Breath Weapon: 10
Spells: 9

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 42
THAC0: 14

Weapon
Dagger +2, Undead slaying 1d4/1d3

Familiar: Wolf ("Cosantóir")

Occult Powers
1st level: Familiar
Archwitch Powers: Mastery of the Veil (gained at level 7), Arcane Communion (gained at level 9), Unbound by Circles (gained at level 11). 

Spells
Cantrips: Arcane Mark (Scribe), Daze, Clean, Palm, Spark
First level: Bad Luck, Blindness, Charm Person, Dowse, Far Sight, Read Languages, Light, Magic Missile*
Second level: Agony, Burning Gaze, Enthrall, Evil Eye, Identify, Levitate, Spell Missile, Produce Flame
Third level: Lightning Bolt*, Bestow Curse, Dispel Magic, Life Blood, Lethe's Curse, Toad Mind
Fourth level: Analyze Magic, Elemental Armor, Intangible Cloak of Shadows, Mirror Talk, Phantom Lacerations, Etheral Projection
Fifth level: Baleful Polymorph, Dreadful Bloodletting, Greater Command, Telekinesis
Sixth level: Anti-Magic Shell, Etheral Banishment, True Seeing, Legend Lore (Ritual)
Seventh level: Ball of Sunshine, Etheralness, Foresight
Eighth level: Astral Projection, Wail of the Banshee, Trap the Soul

Theme Song: On Your Shore

Full details below.

Teamhair
20th level Human Witch Priestess, Neutral Good

Secondary Skill: Intiate

S: 11
I: 16
W: 18
D: 12
C: 15
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 7
Petrify/Polymorph: 7 
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 8
Breath Weapon: 10
Spells: 9

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 63
THAC0: 14

Weapon
Staff +2 (Striking) 1d6 + 1d6 per charge

Familiar: Cat ("Iontach")

Occult Powers
1st level: Familiar
Witch Priestess Powers: Healing Hands (gained at level 7), Invoke the Ancients (gained at level 9), Blessing of the Grove (gained at level 11). 

Spells
Cantrips: Spark, Flare, Cure Minor Wounds*, Open, Detect Poison
First level: Cure Light Wounds*, Bless Growth, Charm Person, Fey Sight, Light, Moon's Heart, Speak with Animals, Vertigo
Second level: Bewitch II, Candle of the Wise, Enthrall, Evil Eye, Hold Person, Locate Object, Magic Circle Against Spirits, Suggestion
Third level: Astral Sense, Dispel Magic, House Spirit, Magic Circle Against Undead, Speak with the Dead*
Fourth level: Cure Serious Wounds*, Cleanse, Undead Destruction, Drawing Down the Moon (Ritual), Divine Power, Spiritual Dagger
Fifth level:  Flame Strike*, Calm Weather, Dream, Telekinesis
Sixth level: Heal* True Seeing, Anchoring Rite, Refuge (Ritual)
Seventh level: Fire Storm*, Breath of the Goddess, Binding Ritual (Ritual)
Eighth level: Mystic Barrier, Wail of the Banshee, Protection of the Goddess (Ritual)

Theme Song: Exile

I dropped their level 13 and above Occult Powers in favor of their new class-based powers. I like the idea of dropping the occult powers in favor of 7th-, 9th-, and 11th-level powers. Saves the occult powers to be unique to the witch class proper. 

For spells, I originally opted for the Archwitch and Witch Priestess to take spells above 5th level, but now I think they should take any spells they have access to. So that is something I will change. I do need to better define which spells, Arcane and Divine, these classes have access to.  So far, the spells marked with an asterisk* are the spells for their chosen advanced classes, except for the * marked cantrips, and those come from their secondary skills.

There are also some spells here that are a direct result of my original playtests of these two characters: Lethe's Curse, Ball of Sunshine, Protection of the Goddess, and Anchoring Rite. 

Because Saileach and Teamhair are very much part of a coven, I gave them both Ritual spells.  They also have a few spells to fight undead to honor their source material. Also, the Daughters of the Flame abhor the undead. That goes back to a time before I was "the witch guy" and was "the vampire guy."

It should also not be a surprise that their theme songs come from Enya, and from the same album, no less. Though I have not found a good way to represent the Anamchara quality for them. Well, not yet. 

 I will admit it. I love Feiya. I "adopted" her once she was released for Pathfinder, and I brought her over to interact with my other witches. It has been great to see how she works (mechanically speaking) with my other witch types. I am not sure how she is in other people's games, but in mine, she has been wonderful. I'd be curious to hear if anyone else uses her. 

One of the great things about using her in my games is that she was one of my first play-test "Archwitches." 

The Archwitch began about this time last year. I got some notes, went to my stack of characters, and looked for one I hadn't already tagged as a potential witch priestess or witch queen. I got to Feiya and stopped. She just kinda fit the whole archwitch idea for me. 

But that is not all I have done with her. A couple of weeks ago, I began a Jackson, IL game with our Sunday group, and I used the Pathfinder iconics as first-level High School students. It is going much better than I ever expected. 

In any case, this is a great character.

I am still working out the finer details of the archwitch Advanced class. What I do know is they gain access to magic-user spells the base witch does not and I am fairly sure that they also loose access to some occult powers OR their selection becomes limited. Typically I associate Occult Powers with a Tradition and spell access with covens. I might codify that a little better in the future. 

The real question before me, though, is whether Archwitches should gain access to 9th-level Magic-user spells? I am inclined to say no, but have not decided.

Feiya
19th level Human Archwitch, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Herbalist

S: 10
I: 17
W: 13
D: 14
C: 12
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 7
Petrify/Polymorph: 7  
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 8
Breath Weapon: 10
Spells: 9

AC: 4 (Robe of the Archwitch, Ring of Protection +1, Bracers of Protection +2)
HP: 39
THAC0: 14

Weapon
Staff of the Archwitch +2 1d6+2 (plus striking +1d4 per charge)

Familiar: Nine-tails Fox "Daji"

Occult Powers
1st level: Familiar
7th level: Speak to Plants & Animals
(13th level: Fae Shape (Hag))
(19th level: Curse)

Spells
Cantrips: Daze, Detect Curse, Object Reading, Sound
First level: Cause Fear, Charm Person, Chill Touch, Sickly, Mend Light Wounds, Shattering the Hourglass, Taunt*, Read Magic*
Second level: Agony, Evil Eye, Levitate, Rose Garden, Ghost Touch, Detect Evil*, Ray of Enfeeblement*
Third level: Bestow Curse, Bewitch III, Dispel Magic, Danse Macabre, Clairvoyance*, Monster Summoning I*
Fourth level: Animal Growth, Emotion, Withering Touch, Instant Karma, Confusion*
Fifth level:  Baleful Polymorph, Bull of Heaven, Eternal Charm Person, Animal Growth*
Sixth level: Eye Bite, True Seeing, Anti-Magic Shell*
Seventh level: Wave of Mutilation, Breath of the Goddess, Monster Summoning V*
Eighth level: Mystic Barrier, Seer Stone

Theme Song: A Forest (Feiya is absolutely a fan of The Cure.)

Again, I think this character is great. Spells marked with an asterisk* are ones from the Magic-user list chosen as an archwitch. Still working on finalizing the list of spells, but I like figuring them out in-game to see what works.

I also put her later Occult Powers in parentheses since I have not figured out what to do about them. If I use the Hierophant Druid as my model, then she should retain her powers. But if you use the Thief-Acrobat, then some abilities remain, but never get better in favor of new abilities. 

More testing is needed.

Photo by Tiểu Bảo TrươngOne of the things I have been working on are new Witchcraft traditions. These are not necessarily ones tied to real-world witchcraft myths and legends, but ones that have sort of grown in my own writings and games. Among these are the expected High Order witchcraft tradition and the Draconic witch tradition. 

My oldest loves dragons. So it was inevitable that sooner or later, I was going to build a witch who has a dragon as a patron. I have been picking at the idea for a number of years, but never really sat down to define what they are. I have talked about Draconic warlocks, but these are different.

The Scaled Sisterhood

Daughters of the Coil, Speakers to the first Coil

The Scaled Sisterhood is one of the oldest witch traditions, possibly predating humanity itself. Its rites were whispered in the coiled tongues of ancient serpents and carved in scales of molten basalt. These witches revere the serpent as a sacred archetype, a symbol of creation and destruction, wisdom and hunger, immortality and renewal.

They see no conflict in paradox: the snake sheds its skin to live anew, the dragon brings ruin to fertilize the earth. Destruction and renewal as a continual cycle. Their tradition honors these truths. 

Witches of the Scaled Sisterhood are often feared for their intensity, strange tongues, and unsettling poise. But they are sought as oracles, poisoners, protectors, and keepers of long-forgotten power. 

The serpent is the first teacher, the dream-voice that teaches in silence. Witches of this tradition see time as a circle, death as transformation, and magic as the tongue of fire spoken before the gods learned speech.Many Scaled witches dwell in ruins, hot springs, caves, volcanic mountains, or the overgrown remnants of pre-human temples. 

Symgharyl Maruel, The Shadowsil

I talked about Symgharyl Maruel, aka The Shadowsil, a while back as a potential witch in the Forgotten Realms.  Since one of my stated goals with my witch classes is to replicate any sort of witch, I figure I'll give her another try.

You see more about here from the ever-useful Forgotten Realms wiki and from Ed Greenwood himself.

Symgharyl Maruel represents the extreme end of what the Scaled Sisterhood would be. In fact, we have a name already for it: The Cult of the Dragon. 

Symgharyl Maruel
18th level Human Witch, Neutral Evil

Secondary Skill: Cultist

S: 9
I: 15
W: 15
D: 16
C: 14
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 7
Petrify/Polymorph: 7 
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 8
Breath Weapon: 10
Spells: 9

AC:  2 (leather armor +2, Ring of Protection +2, Dex 16 -2)
HP: 63
THAC0: 14

Weapon
Dagger +1 1d4/1d3

Familiar: pseudo dragon

Occult Powers
1st level: Familiar
7th level: Evil's Touch
13th level: Minor Hex

Spells
Cantrips: Alarm Ward, Chill, Daze, Ghost Sound, Inflict Minor Wounds, Spark
First level: Black Fire, Cause Fear, Charm Person, Endure Elements, Ghostly Slashing, Light/Darkness, Minor Fighting Prowess, Sonic Blast
Second level: Discord, Enthrall, Ghost Touch, Hold Person, Invisibility, Phantasmal Spirit, Spell Missile
Third level: Bestow Curse, Dispel Magic, Feral Spirit, Lifeblood, Toad Mind, Witch Wail
Fourth level: Analyze Magic, Elemental Armor (Fire), Intangible Cloak of Shadows, Phantom Lacerations, Withering Touch
Fifth level:  Blade Dance, Dreadful Bloodletting, Waves of Fatigue
Sixth level: Death Blade, Mass Agony, True Seeing
Seventh level: Death Aura, Greater Arcane Eye, Wave of Mutilation
Eighth level: Destroy Life, Mystic Barrier

Theme Song: Ever Dream

She compares well to her Basic-era version and her official AD&D 2nd Ed version. I guess the question I need to answer is this, "Is Symgharyl Maruel really a witch?" My go-to answer is always "why not!" but she really does feel like a witch to me. Either way, she is great, and in my games, she is still alive and still getting up to all sorts of trouble. 

I just need to figure out why she would go to Elminster and then later Manshoon for instruction. Maybe it is not that big of a deal, really. I don't need to hammer her into a "witch-shaped" gap. 

 What if one of my normally good witches turned evil? That is the question I asked when I sat down to work on this witch. She isn't one of my witches turned evil, she is built new from the ground up, but it is an interesting thought experiment. I am also revisiting my Complete Netbook of Witches & Warlocks book and revising my warlock ideas. 

As it turns out, I really have three different warlocks. 

• Complete Netbook of Witches & Warlocks
• Eldritch Witchery for Spellcraft & Swordplay
• Warlock for Swords & Wizardry
• Warlock for Basic-era Games (very similar to S&W)

They are all similar but not identical. Today I am going to look into the CNoW&W warlock since it is the most different than the others and it is also the most similar to the witch class.

So a witch-like warlock. Evil. Fits into my world. That is the recipe for today's witch. I am interested in how this witch works, so I am not giving her cantrips.

Aeronwy is, for the most part, Rhiannon, the one I got from Grenda's collection of characters.  The characters of Eria, Rhiannon, and Aeronwy all represent the same character as she progresses from good pagan to evil malefic witch. I have taken some liberties with the posted versions over the years, but they all represent, if not the same character, the same sort of character. 

• Rhiannon, Level 1
• Eria, Level 3
• Rhiannon, Grenda's original
• Rhiannon, Basic era Level 8
• Rhiannon, Malefic Witch Priestess, Level 8

It's not a clean progression to be sure. And I "cheated" by combining a couple of similar characters named Rhiannon here. But the idea is compelling. A good pagan girl turning to evil devil worship. Sounds fun!

Aeronwy
17th level Human Warlock (Malefic), Lawful Evil

S: 12
I: 16
W: 16
D: 13
C: 13
Ch: 16

Paralysis/Poison: 7
Petrify/Polymorph: 7
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 8
Breath Weapon: 10
Spells: 9

AC:  (Leather AC 8 +2)
HP: 34
THAC0: 14

Weapon
Dagger +1 1d4/1d3

Occult Powers
1st level: Healing Herbs
6th level: Supernatural Protection
9th level: Word of Fear
12th level: Necromantic Protection
15th level: Fiend Summoning
18th level: Astral Travel

Base chance of discovery: 58%
Can't tread on holy or consecrated ground. Double damage from cold wrought steel/iron.

Spells
First level: Bleeding Touch, Beguile I, Blood Strike, Foretell, Lesser Banishing Rite, Pain, Wich Light
Second level: Air Blast, Aura Reading, Dance Tantra, Glamour, Minor Hex, Pain Armor, Summon Undead
Third level: Astral Sense, Aura Manipulation, Charm Undead, Kiss of Slavery, Lesser Strengthing Rite, Witch Writing
Fourth level: Broom, Card Reading, Hate, Middle Banishing Rite, Spiritual Dagger, Witch Bottle
Fifth level: Blade Dance, Bull of Hell, Escape of the Snake, Minor Rite of Enchantment, Rite of Mental Resistance
Sixth level: Anchoring Rite, Greater Banishing Rite, Pentagram of Protection, Wave of Mutilation
Seventh level: Demon Trap, Widershins Dance

Theme Songs: Everybody Scream

My old witch and warlock had a lot more Occult Powers, but fewer spells.Both in choice and in use. I think the balance I struck in the Basic-era witches is better. 

This is not 100% the Aeronwy I have been playing since Halloween. But she is really close. To give you an idea of what she has become, the Halestorm song "Vicious" was almost her theme song. I put her through hell (and Hell), and she comes back even angrier and more powerful. She is great, and I think she is going to be one of those characters that really leaves a mark on my games. 

 At the start of this challenge, I introduced the Gallowglass subclass, a sort of mercenary for hire for witches. Today I want to detail The Witchknight, a different sort of armed-and-armored witch. 

I guess the simple way of looking at the Witch Knight vs the Gallowglass is that Witch Knights are considered part of the outer circle of the coven, where a Gallowglass isn't part of the coven at all. Both classes are martial fighting classes. The witch knight is a cavalier subclass and is related to the paladin. The gallowglass is a fighter subclass. Though both do have magical effects.

THE WITCH KNIGHT

A Witch Knight must have all the requisite ability scores of the cavalier, which are Strength 15, Dexterity 15, Constitution 15, and additionally a Wisdom score of 13 and a Charisma score of 13 or higher. Witch Knights are devoted champions of the Old Religion, chosen to defend its mysteries, sanctuaries, and priestesses. A witch knight can serve witches, wicce, druids, or even clerics of "the old faith." Though they wear the mail of warriors and fight with sword and shield, their power is rooted in ancient pacts and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. A Witch Knight who strays from this sacred duty or profanes the oaths of their Order becomes a fighter and loses all special Witch Knight powers.

Witch Knights must initially be of the correct cultural station or be initiated into a tradition by a coven, high witch, or spirit of the Old Ways. In either case, the Witch Knight must advance through the stages of Squire and Horned Blade (the equivalent of Horseman and Lancer) before gaining full Witch Knight abilities.

Witch Knights are sworn to an Order. Each Order reflects a different aspect of the Old Faith and grants unique features at the 1st level. The five major Orders are:

Order of the Green KnightKnights of the Green are guardians of nature, the sacred grove, and the cycle of seasons. They draw strength from the wild and wield their weapons as extensions of the forest spirit. Their armor is often etched with vines, leaves, and antlers.Benefit: May speak with plants and animals once per day (as druid spells, caster level equals Witch Knight level). Gain +1 to hit and damage when fighting in natural outdoor settings.
Order of the Waning MoonThese knights serve the night, the liminal, and the hidden roads of fate. They are the sword in shadow and the wardens of witch-haunted paths.Benefit: Gain Infravision (60 feet). Once per day, may cast Invisibility to Undead or Faerie Fire (choose at creation). +2 to saves vs. illusions.
Order of the GraveSworn to guard the threshold between life and death, these knights serve as psychopomps and avengers. They defend the spirits of the dead and ensure the balance is kept.Benefit: Detect undead within 60 feet at will. At 4th level, once per day, may turn undead as a cleric 3 levels below knight level. At 5th level, gains +1 to saves vs. death magic.
Order of the Hollow RoadThese wandering knights are sworn to sacred places and paths. They serve the land itself, traveling between ley lines and old shrines, answering omens and dreams.Benefit: Immune to magical fear. Once per day, may reroll a failed saving throw. +1 bonus to Constitution when determining hit points (only at character creation).
Order of the ThornThe martial Order of the Thorn defends covens and witches with steel and unbreakable will. They are the first into battle, the last to fall, and their blood marks the battlefield.Benefit: When protecting a known witch or sacred site, gain +1 AC and +1 to saving throws. May use a Witch Talisman (if provided one) to cast Protection from Evil once per day.

Aura of the Old Ways: Beginning at 2nd level, the Witch Knight radiates a sacred presence. Allies within 10 feet gain +1 to attack rolls and saving throws against fear; enemies suffer -1 to attack rolls. This aura is always active unless the Witch Knight is unconscious or has broken an oath.

Oath of Protection: At 3rd level, the Witch Knight may swear an Oath to defend a person, place, or relic of the Old Religion. While protecting their charge, they gain +1 to hit, damage, and AC. Only one Oath may be active at a time. Breaking an Oath incurs penalties.

Sacred Mount: Like cavaliers, Witch Knights gain a bonded mount at 4th level. This mount is often fey-touched, ghostly, or marked by the Old Ways (e.g., antlered horses, black steeds with glowing eyes).

Witch Spell Use: Beginning at 7th level, the Witch Knight gains limited spellcasting ability. They cast Witch spells as a 3rd-level Witch and may choose spells from the 1st through 4th levels. They do not use spellbooks but instead rely on ritual tools, talismans, and learned charms.

Witch Knight Restrictions:

• May use all weapons and armor as a cavalier
• Must follow their Order's rites and taboos
• Must follow their Order's oaths to covens

Name Level: Upon reaching 9th level (Witch Knight), the Witch Knight may establish a Sacred Bastion, a sanctified fortress or waystation on a ley line or near a powerful coven. They may attract initiates, witches, and even other knights sworn to the Old Ways.

.tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-34fe{background-color:#c0c0c0;border-color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-c3ow{border-color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-llyw{background-color:#c0c0c0;border-color:inherit;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-7btt{border-color:inherit;font-weight:bold;text-align:center;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-0pky{border-color:inherit;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-0lax{text-align:left;vertical-align:top} Level Title Experience Points Hit Dice (d10) 1  2  3  1 Aspirant of the Circle 2,750 1 - - - 2 Grove Squire 5,500 2 - - - 3 Horned Blade 11,000 3 - - - 4 Knight of the Moon 22,000 4 - - - 5 Green Champion 40,000 5 - - - 6 Thorn-Crowned Defender 80,000 6 - - - 7 Shield of the Old Ways 160,000 7 1 - - 8 Spirit-Anointed Blade 360,000 8 2 - - 9 Witch Knight 600,000 9 2 1 - 10 Witch Knight 900,000 9+3 hp 2 2 - 11 Witch Knight 1,200,000 9+6 hp 2 2 1 12 Witch Knight 1,400,000 9+9 hp 3 2 2 13 Witch Knight 1,700,000 9+12 hp 3 2 2 14 Witch Knight 2,000,000 9+15 hp 3 3 2 15 Witch Knight 2,300,000 9+18 hp 4 3 3 16 Witch Knight 2,600,000 9+21 hp 4 4 3 17+ Witch Knight +300,000 per +3 hp per

Witch Knight vs. Gallowglass

Both the Witch Knight and the Gallowglass are martial defenders of the occult world, but they differ in origin, role, and flavor.

Witch Knights are cavalier sub-classes: bound by Orders, oaths, and ritualized codes of conduct. They are champions of the Old Religion, serving witches and priestesses with reverence, and receiving structured mystical powers in return.

Gallowglass are fighter sub-classes: grim, ancestral warriors with limited ritual magic. They serve clans, covens, or places of power through raw loyalty and sacred bonds, not knightly honor.

The Witch Knight is the mythic sword-arm of the sacred moon, while the Gallowglass is the blood-bound axe of the old ways.

Rowan

Rowan has always been a witch knight. Even when I didn't know that is what she was, that is what she was.  She has appeared in various stages of her life in past Character Creation challenges. 

• Rowan McGowan, D&D 3rd Edition
• Rowan McGowan, Pathfinder 2nd Edition
• Roawn McGowan, Wasted Lands

Each of these brought her a step closer to this ideal. 

Rowan
Human 16th level Witch Knight (Order of the Thorn), Lawful Neutral

Secondary Skill: Animal Trainner

S: 17
I: 13
W: 13
D: 15
C: 15
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 4
Petrify/Polymorph: 5
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 6
Breath Weapon: 4
Spells: 7

AC: -1 (Plate +2)
HP: 68
THAC0: 6

Weapon
Long Sword +2

Steed: Black Unicorn "Annwn"

Spells
First level: Comprehend Languages, Detect Spirits, Ghostly Slashing, Vertigo
Second level: Biting Blade, Delay Poison, Ghost Touch, Minor Image
Third level: Continual fire, Mirror Image, Suggestion

Theme Song: The Mummer's Dance

According to my wife, I spent days creating a "D&D Horse Girl." She is...not wrong. Again, my fondness for pagan things is showing here. If this were a modern game, she would be the plucky girl who works at the horse stables where her dad is a trainer, but not the owner, and she is the only one who can approach, let alone ride, the new, dangerous black stallion. ETA: I may have written up a NIGHT SHIFT character sheet for as well. 

Her steed (a wholly inadequate word here) is a black unicorn named "Annwn." They are bonded much in the same way a Paladin's steed is. 

Unlike witches, the witch-knigh does not get cantrips, bonus spells, or the ability to cast ritual spells.

A few years back I found what I think is my earliest surviving written reference to a witch in my games: Marissia, Daughter of Zelligar. Zelligar is, of course, the missing wizard from the module B1 In Search Of The Unknown.  

I have long been of the opinion that the infamous Rogahn and Zelligar of B1 are the same adventurers on the cover of the Holmes Basic set and the same, along with Marissia, on the cover of Warlocks & Warriors. Well...I named her Marissia (yes that spelling) for a variety of reasons that began with Scooby-Doo and Jerry Reed. There was a "Melissa" in B1 who was the paramour of the fighter Rogahn. I merged the two in my mind and that became the downfall of the two mighty adventurers. Marissia, Zelligar's daughter, began an affair with Rogahn. That's fun, but not why I am talking about her today. Today I want to revisit her as my "First Witch."

No, she really isn't my first witch, just the one I have the earliest evidence for. 

I was playing a mix of AD&D and D&D here, so I am guessing I was age 11 or 12.

For this witch I am going back to the 1983 Bard Game's The Compleat Spell Caster. Which has a witch class based on the Druid. It also had a sorcerer, but that is a topic for another day. All the Spellcasters here have a great "occult" feel to them so I really want to capture the feel of this in my own games. 

Marissia here then feels very different from my other witches largely due to her "druidic" relationship. Figure this is a druid that is allowed to be something other than just True Neutral. This witch has a lot of plant related powers and the ability to read magic. Similar to my Occult Powers.

I have have The Compleat Spell Caster, so I also use The Compleat Alchemist (which is recommended for the witch).  I also gave Marissia the secondary skill of Alchemist. 

Marissia
15th level Human Witch, Chaotic Evil

Secondary Skill: Alchemist

S: 11
I: 17
W: 17
D: 12
C: 15
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 5
Petrify/Polymorph: 8
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 9
Breath Weapon: 11
Spells: 12

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 56
THAC0: 12

Weapon
Dagger +1 1d4/1d3
BroomStaff 1d6

Familiar: Hellhound

Powers
Identify Plants, Pass without a Trace, Read Magic
7th level: Create Elixirs, Potions, Dusts

Spells
First level: Charm, Detect Magic, Disguise, Eldritch Fire, Healing, Hex, Night Vision, Summon Familiar
Second level: Blending, Circle of Darkness, Eyes of the Hawk, Levitate, Water Breathing, Speak with Animals, Frost, Youth
Third level: Shape Change, Dispel Magic, ESP, Emotional Influence, Locate Object, Windstorm, Animal Control
Fourth level: Circle of Silence, Flight, Invisibility, Malediction, Speak in Tongues, Thunderbolt
Fifth level: Elemental Shield, Ice Storm, Minor Enchantment, Mists of Sleep, Psychic Assault, Guards & Locks
Sixth level: Firestorm, Plague of Spiders, Quagmire, Psychic Shield, Teleportation
Seventh level: Great Curse, Restore Life, Tempest, Witch Wind, 

Theme Songs: Pretty Mary Sunlight (for her name) and Going to Hell (her actual song).

Using the Druid spell progression provides a lot of spells, but is limited to the Seventh level. Not a terrible trade-off. 

In my mind, Marissia began as a "demonic" witch, especially given all the demons in the CSP, but her spells read "Storm Witch" more. So maybe her patron is not Ereshkigal, but rather someone like Pazuzu. Pazuzu feels right to me, given his connection to The Exorcist and the time period. 

But there is a demon in the book, Baal, who is also known as the Master of Storms. Many of the demons in the CSP have vaguely ancient origins: Aaman (Anu), Baal, Astorath (Astaroth), Thamuz (Dumuzid, Tammuz), Nergal, and more. Given all this, Pazuzu still feels like a great choice, as does my very first choice, Ereshkigal. Maybe Pazuzu is just a demon employed by Ereshkigal. 

 I have not talked much about Warlocks here at all for this challenge, which is an oversight of sorts. I have Warlocks I am using in my Occult D&D game, but they feel a little overpowered at the moment. I am going to present one, my iconic warlock Taryn, and see where I might need to make adjustments. I am largely basing this on my The Warlock for Swords & Wizardry, but I think with other rules I have in place, I might need to tone it down and increase their XP. No idea just yet.

I mentioned Taryn already in this challenge. She is the daughter of my iconic witch, Larina, and she is a half-elf. Well...half Sidhe, but largely the same thing. She began life as a 4th edition character but became one of my more important 5th edition characters. 

Warlocks get fewer spells, but also gain invocations that can be used at least once per day. In Taryn's case here I am also granting her Cantrips, including one for her secondary skill. Unlike witches, warlocks do not gain bonus spells due to Charisma. Also warlocks can't participate in ritual spells unless stated, but this is not that big of deal. A lot of witches in practice don't participate in ritual spells.

Taryn
Half-elf 13th level Warlock (Fey), Chaotic Neutral

Secondary Skill: Initiate

S: 11
I: 17
W: 16
D: 13
C: 17
Ch: 16

Paralysis/Poison: 9
Petrify/Polymorph: 9
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 10
Breath Weapon: 12
Spells: 11

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 48
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Sword (Pact Blade) +2

Familiar: Black Cat "Mojo"

Spells
Cantrips: Mote of Light*, Chill, Clean, Ghost Sound
First level: Mage Armor, Chill Touch, Cause Minor Wounds, Häxen Talons, Eldritch Fire, Arcane Dart
Second level: Blur, Burning Gaze, Grasp of the Endless War, Phantasmal Armor, Share my Pain
Third level: Fangs of the Strix, Malice, Witch Fire, Clairsentience, Starlight
Fourth level: Arcane Eye, Elemental Armor, Rain of Spite, Pit of Pain
Fifth level: Blade Dance, Cry of the Nightbird, Telekinesis

Invocations
Arcane Blast, Agonizing Blast, Beguiling Influence, Aura of Fear, Pact Blade, Eldritch Ball of Flame, Supernatural Protection 

Theme Song: I Am the Fire

Spells and Invocations combined are a lot for a 13th level caster, but some of those invocations are "passive" or have other effects; like Agonizing blast only effects Arcane blast. Pact Blade just effects a sword.  Still I might trim down the spells more.

Also warlocks top out at 5th level spells. 

I think my warlocks need some more work to be honest. 

Today I want to explore two similar witches. Or more to the point, two witches who approach similar magics and traditions of witchcraft from two different vectors.

 Jana is another witch I created a couple of years ago. I wanted a human witch mixed up in the affairs of the Faerie Courts, in particular my Court of Swords. Despite being high(-ish) level, she is in way over her head. I have her serving the current Queen of Swords, Nicnevin. This is just one of her titles, she is also one of my witch queens. The Court of Swords is one of the "Shadow Courts" neither the Seelie nor the Unseelie, but somewhere in between. What they lack in prominence they make up for in guile, intrigue and ruthlessness. Nicnevin herself is ancient and very powerful. I say that Jana has a bit of fire nymph blood in her heritage, not enough to really do much than raise her charisma score a couple of point, but enough to give her entry to these courts. 

Sarana is not really my character exactly. She also featured in my War of the Witch Queens, in the adventure Tanglewood Keep, from DL15 Mists of Krynn, as well as a past Character Creation Challenge. She is a composite of two of Vince Garcia's characters, Sarana and Stevie, who may have been the same character anyway.

Both of these characters are "Faerie Witches" that is, they are part of the faerie tradition. Since I am trying to figure out what my Occult D&D looks like through the lens of AD&D, I figured I would compare and contrast the play styles of two different sort of faerie witches. Jana is a faerie traditional witch from Mayfair's Role Aids book "Witches." Sarana uses my Faerie Tradition from my Old-School Essentials book, Monster Mash II: A Midsummer Night's Dream. I am also grabbing some ideas from my The Craft of the Wise: The Pagan Witch Tradition and The Green Witch for Swords & Wizardry. This covers OSE, S&W and AD&D 2nd Ed; so none of them are AD&D 1st ed. 

Given I am trying to stick close to their native rules today I am not using Cantrips or Bonus spells. 

Jana
13th level Human Witch, Neutral

Secondary Skill: Translator

S: 11
I: 17
W: 16
D: 12
C: 11
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 11
Petrify/Polymorph: 9
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 7
Breath Weapon: 11
Spells: 8

AC: 6 (Leather +2, AC 8)
HP: 31
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3
Staff +1 1d6

Spells
First level: Audible Glamer, Comprehend Languages, Friends, Read Magic
Second level: ESP, Forget, Know Alignment, Detect Good & Evil
Third level: Delude, Speak with Animals, Tongues, Remote Seeing
Fourth level: Emotion, Fear, Wizard Eye, Enervation 
Fifth level: False Vision, Domination, Advanced Illusion
Sixth level: Mindwrite, Mislead

Theme Song: Another Year of Rain

Jana is one of Queen Nicnevin's translators. Her job is to cast sublte magic to both enthrall and intimidate visitors to the Queen's court. 

In my game Queen Nicnevin combines the mythological Nicnevin, with a bit of Hecate (already part of Nicnevin according to some scholars) and a bit of Scáthach. 

Sarana
13th level Half-Elf (Gray Elf) Witch, Neutral

Secondary Skill: Herbalist

S: 10
I: 18
W: 19
D: 13
C: 15
Ch: 19

Paralysis/Poison: 9
Petrify/Polymorph: 9
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 10
Breath Weapon: 12
Spells: 11

AC: 6 (Robe AC 9 +3)
HP: 43
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Dagger +2 1d4/1d3
Staff 1d6

Familiar: White Dove, "Zeraida"

Spells
First level: Allure, Wailing Lament, Fey Step, Glamour
Second level: Burning Gaze, Evil Eye, Stunning Allure, Witch's Tooth
Third level: Blink, Psychic Assault, Magical Vestment
Fourth level: Command Person, Dryad's Door, Threefold Aspect
Fifth level: Baba Yaga's Secret Chest, Magic Cauldron
Sixth level: Arcane Window

Theme Song: Gypsy

Sarana is always an NPC, so I don't have much to say about her growth as a character. As a witch though she has fewer spells than does Jana at the same level. 

Along with Eireann and Rána, they were all in my "Kingdom of Rain" mini-campaign a couple years back. This was around the time I was experimenting with the Land of Faerie/the Feywild as a means to access other worlds. It would explain how I can have Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance Character's interact without resorting to gate spells, astral travel, or Spelljamming.

One of the things I have been trying to do is find a good witch class for my current AD&D games in the Forgotten Realms. I am running one and my oldest son runs the other and we both have our favored play-test GMPC/Play-test characters.

Up first is my son's character Cirice.

Cirice, obviously named for the Ghost Song, is a Kitsune witch. Now, I have no idea if there are Kitsune in the Forgotten Realms or not, but we wanted to give one a try. We figure Kitsune can see in the dark, but don't have infravision. We have not decided if they are "demi-humans" in terms of multiclass vs dual class. We punted and gave her only one class.

So Cirice here is from Kozakura from the Kara-Tur area of the Forgotten Realms. She was one of the people on the ship in our first Forgotten Realms adventure along with Moria. 

Cirice also has psionics. She was the only character that night who ended up with them. I can say this, her having TK saved these characters butts more than a few times. Same with Cell Adjustment. One more character the cleric didn't have to heal was great.  I like psionics. A lot. But I really want a better system. Sounds like a problem with a future solution. 

In truth I have been thinking a lot about psionics and their role in a fantasy adventure game like D&D. I mean you would not see them in say "Lord of the Rings." But I also can't deny that psychics and psychic power was really popular when D&D/AD&D was new (the 1970s and all). So maybe there is a place for them.

Cirice
12th level Kitsune Witch Priestess, Chaotic Neutral

Secondary Skill: Scribe

S: 14
I: 17
W: 16
D: 17
C: 16
Ch: 18
Cm: 18 (yes we did comeliness for this batch)

Paralysis/Poison: 9
Petrify/Polymorph: 9
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 10
Breath Weapon: 12
Spells: 11

AC: 6 (leather armor, ring of protection +2)
HP: 21
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Familiar: white Fox (a nine-tails) gains tails as it levels up, "Diaymo"

Spells
Cantrips: Chill, Detect Curse, Detect Poison, Mend
First level: Burning Hands, Bad Luck, Cat Fall, Charm Person, Glamour, Moonstone
Second level: Biting Blade, Evil Eye, Burning Gaze, Fever, Produce Flame, Blast Shield
Third level: Continual Fire, Feral Spirit, Witch Wail, Bestow Curse
Fourth level: Divine Power, Elemental (Fire) Armor, Intangible Cloak of Shadows, Instant Karma
Fifth level: Primal Scream, Blade Dance
Sixth level: Death Blade, Mislead

Psionics
Attack 278
Attack Modes: A, B, C, D, E
Defense Modes: a, b, c
Major Disciplines: Telekinesis, Teleport
Minor Disciplines: Invisibility, Levitation, Cell Adjustment

Theme Song: Cirice (naturally)

Again, another good character. I am looking forward to seeing her do more.

Photo by Vanessa PozosToday's witch comes from a night of rolling up characters with my oldest a bit ago. We just sat down to roll up characters, he was doing the new Star Wars and I was making witches. I wanted to roll up a bunch and see if any came out as psionic. No, but we still had a great time. 

Rána was one of those witches. She began as a fairly basic elf witch. But as I tried her out she grew in complexity. She is a Twilight Elf, one of my new elf sub-species. It is a species of elf akin to the Shadow Elves, but live above ground and can tolerate light better. So I sat down to work on her. I set my my Spotify to Pagan Rock and listened to bands like Faun, S.J. Tucker, and of course Loreena McKennitt. Ok she is from Canada, but she counts. When I was done, Rána had become something different.

So who is Rána? She is Twilight Elf, but she is also alone and that is how she likes it. She has her familiar, a gray wolf named Circe. She is not just a Pagan, she is a militant pagan. She considers herself a Follower of Aradia (yes...I know Aradia is about as much Pagan as a Halloween mask, but this is a history blog, it is an RPG blog), and she feels all these new religions are a bad thing. And she is not really all that fond of humans either. So much so they she doesn't even know the Common tongue. She does know what she calls "the language of the forest" that is, sylvan, elven, and goblin as well as Primordial and a touch of Supernal. How did she learn this impossible language? Well, she won't be telling you.

Let's break up what makes her character.

Twilight Elf

Twilight Elves are another sub-species of elves that poped up after the Sundering of the Elves. When the elves split into Light and Dark factions, some elves stayed in the middle. The Free Elves, the Shadow Elves and the Twilight Elves. The twilight elves are the loners among elves, stoic and xenophobic. Their communities are small and hidden and of all the Elves they have the fewest numbers. Like Drow they gain some cantrips for free. Blur, Dancing Lights, and Minor Charm. They also get Infravision 60' and +2 to magic/spell saves. This is magic directed at them. 

Cantrips

I am using my new cantrip rules for her as well. I like these, they work well. I just want to work on some new cantrips.

Rána
11th level Elf (Twilight Elf) Witch, Chaotic Neutral

Secondary Skill: Herbalist

S: 12
I: 15
W: 16
D: 12
C: 14
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 9
Petrify/Polymorph: 9
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 10
Breath Weapon: 12
Spells: 11

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 34
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Dagger +2 1d4/1d3
Staff +2 1d6

Familiar: Gray Wolf "Circe"

Spells
Bonus: Blur, Dancing Lights, Minor Charm
Cantrips: Ghost Sound, Mote of Light, Chill, Alarm Ward
First level: Charm Animal, Speak w/ Animals, Spirit Dart, Ghostly Slashing, Chill Touch, Endure Elements
Second level: ESP, Invisibility, Augury, Death Armor, Evil Eye
Third level: Scry, Tongues, Bestow Cure, Fly, Witch Wail
Fourth level: Analyze Magic, Moonlit Way, Tears of the Banshee
Fifth Level: Death Curse, Nightmare
Sixth Level: Moonbow

Theme Song: Running with the Wolves

It dawns on me how much Rána is like San of Princess Mononoke. For this reason I also give her the name of "Ghost of the Forrest." She protects her land from invading humans and orcs, who she sees as being the same thing.

Photo by RDNE Stock project Esmé Valethorn is a character I rolled up back in the summer of 2024. So no deep history with her here. I wanted a character that would have a special interest in portals and how the line up along ley lines. She began life as a Blue Rose Adept, moving on to ShadowDark, a little bit in Baldur's Gate 3, and finally Wasted Lands.

Now she is finally where I want her, in AD&D 1st edition. 

Esmé is a magus, which is something of a cross between a magic-user and a witch, but think of them as professors of magic. That really fits how I see Esmé to be honest. She loves to give people her opinions. Trouble is she is right far more times than not. I have described her as outwardly very serious, inwardly very ridiculous. She is very "buttoned down" and dare I say conservative, but inside she loves the absurd. For example she pretends other wise, but Doireann and Amaranth are two of her closest friends; but she would be appalled if anyone knew this.

She is a Magus, but what exactly is that? Short answer a magus is a magic-user that also studies the mysteries of the occult in addition to the arcane. Certainly there is overlap in these topics, which is why the magus is a sub-class of the magic-user. 

This is my attempt to fulfill the promise of the Holmes Basic witch class.

THE MAGUS

The magus is a subclass of the magic-user, distinguished by their study of occult correspondences, ceremonial magic, and metaphysical law. Where the magic-user (wizard) channels arcane force through long years of spellcraft, the magus seeks to understand the hidden structure of magic and reality itself.

Magicians of this kind are often associated with academies, arcane colleges, or invisible orders of esoteric learning. Some belong to ancient schools or urban universities, while others work independently but draw on shared traditions. Regardless of origin, the magus is more urbane than hedge wizards or wild witches, more structured than mere spell-slingers, and more systematic than druids or illusionists.

While not as versatile as the magic-user in destructive sorcery nor as instinctively gifted as the witch, the magus excels in prepared rituals, symbol-work, magical theory, and the reading of strange phenomena. They are highly sought after as scholars, ward-makers, spirit-binders, and astrologers.

Magus spells include both arcane and occult types, but never the most potent wizardly magic. The magus may cast up to 8th-level spells, but never 9th.

Requirements: 

Intelligence 13+, Wisdom 11+

Prime Requisite:

Intelligence

Hit Dice:

d4

Armor Allowed:

None

Weapons Allowed:

Dagger, staff, dart

Spell Use:

Arcane and Occult (limited list, up to 8th level)

Special Abilities:

    Occult Literacy: At 1st level, the magus knows Read Magic automatically and may attempt to decipher occult writings or witch-scrolls (50% base chance, +5% per level) and clerical scrolls (5% base chance, +5% per level). Failures may not retry until gaining a level.

    Esoteric Focus: The magus must use a ritual focus (wand, crystal, blade, or orb). While wielded, it grants +1 on saving throws vs. spells and illusions to the magus.

    Ritual Participation: At the 2nd level, the magus may substitute as a Ritual Participant as either a witch, warlock, or wizard. They can not lead a ritual or be its primary spellcaster.

    Ritual Theory: Beginning at 5th level, the magus may cast one known spell per day as a ritual (casting time: 1 turn), without expending a memorized spell. They must have their grimoire present. Unlike casting a spell from a spell book, this does not destroy the spell in question. They cannot do this with a spell unknown to them.

    Ley Line Sense: At 7th level, the magus may detect ley lines, magical loci, and planar disturbances with 90% accuracy after one turn of study. This allows the magus to sense active portals or rifts, locate nodes for enhanced rituals (conferring an additional -1 to saving throws), and interpret magical residue or psychic impressions. 

    True Name Hypothesis: At 11th level, the magus gains +2 to saves against any named extraplanar being, and those creatures suffer −2 on saves to resist dismissal or banishment.

Magi may create magical items and engage in magical research as magic-users. They may use any magic item permitted to magic-users and witches, except those limited to a specific class (staff of the archmage, broom of the witch queen).

Magi are considered part of the educated elite in many societies, often forming cabals within universities, temples, or ancient halls of occult knowledge. Even the self-taught magus is familiar with the structure and culture of these institutions, and is rarely mistaken for a common sorcerer.

Upon attaining 9th level, a magus may seek or be invited into the service of a noble, monarch, religious figure, or powerful lord. In this role, the magus serves as an advisor, astrologer, ritualist, and arcane consultant, often holding a place of prestige within the court or temple hierarchy.

Duties typically include:

• Casting horoscopes and natal charts to guide decisions of state, marriage, or succession.
• Performing divinations and rituals to protect the realm or improve the fortune of their patron.
• Advising on magical threats, relics, and omens.
• Overseeing or suppressing occult phenomena, magical uprisings, or rogue spellcasters.
• Occasionally, educating heirs or clergy in magical or philosophical matters.

While some magi serve faithfully and benevolently (as did John Dee for Queen Elizabeth), others may grow manipulative, arrogant, or dangerously entangled in prophecy, such as Rasputin with the Romanovs. A magus need not be evil to wield significant influence, though political entanglements carry great reward and greater risk.

A magus in such a role may receive room, board, access to libraries, laboratories, and a modest stipend, or even noble titles and land at the GM’s discretion. Such positions may attract rivals, enemies, or factions fearful of arcane influence.

A 9th-level magus may also found a philosophical lodge, occult college, or private sanctum where students and adepts gather to study ritual magic and Hermetic principles. These may serve as centers of learning, intrigue, or esoteric power. These worthies often take on the title of Grand Magus.

Unlike other wizards, Magi pursue magic as a sacred science. They seek harmony between the celestial and terrestrial, invoking the axiom "As Above, So Below." Their art is not mere spell-casting but the weaving of correspondences: colors, metals, stars, and numbers. Though their rituals are longer and more demanding, they wield powers that align with cosmic order. In ancient courts, kings turned to Magi to chart the stars, bind spirits, and inscribe seals of protection.

Esmé Valethorn10th level Human Magus, Lawful Neutral

Secondary Skill: Scribe

S: 11
I: 18
W: 12
D: 12
C: 14
Ch: 15

Paralysis/Poison: 13
Petrify/Polymorph: 11
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 9
Breath Weapon: 13
Spells: 10

AC: 8 (no armor, ring of protection +2)
HP: 25
THAC0: 19

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Spells
Cantrips: Fire Finger, Hide, Knot, Clean
First level: Read Magic*, Burning Hands, Shocking Grasp, Unseen Servant, Light
Second level: Knock, Wizard Lock, Deep Pockets, Locate Object
Third level: Blink, Dispel Magic, Protection from Evil 10' Radius
Fourth level: Dimension Door, Minor Globe of Invulnerability
Fifth level: Teleport, Avoidance

Theme Song: Seven Wonders

I like Esmé. She is a fun character to play. She acts all serious, but really isn't or doesn't want to be.

I am using my new cantrips rules, but cantrips from the Unearthed Arcana. A magus, as a subclass of the magic-user does not get any bonus spells though like the witch or cleric. Still, she does have quite a few already.

 I have been going through stacks of notes, character sheets, and just "stuff" from the days when I was playing AD&D all the time. Some things I find are fun, others are the typical gamer junk you expect from a 16-17-year-old. But sometimes I find something from a time long ago that makes me laugh out loud and wonder how on Earth I ever forgot it. The time was June (or so) 1989. The character was, is, Dreamer.

Dreamer was, is, an AD&D 2nd Edition character that I never played or really finished. That's not what makes her special. What makes her special is how much she reads like a rough draft of my Warlock character, Taryn. 

Dreamer, named after the movie "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors," was going to be a character who moved through dreams. She was Larina's daughter, but not from her husband, but my assassin character, Nigel. According to my notes, she was going to take some spells from the Dreamer class from Dragon #134. My thoughts were that she could invade people's dreams to kill them. But it never really worked out.

Taryn came much later. She is what I call my iconic warlock. She is Larina's daughter as well, but from a Shadow Elf Cavalier/Knight Scáthaithe, The Umbral Lord and Knight of Swords. She is a warlock, not a dreamer, but in both cases, Dreamer and Taryn are very specifically "Not Witches." They share some overlap, but only enough to make the differences more pronounced. Both live in a liminal world. Dreams for Dreamer (naturally) and shadows for Taryn. I take Taryn's liminality even further by making her a half-elf. Taryn is also named for Jennifer Rubin's character Taryn from Nightmare 3. Dark hair and a fondness for knives, yes, 10-inch mohawk, not so much.

Dreamer never got very far. I mean, she doesn't even really have a proper name, just a description and a couple of sentences of backstory (edit: A family tree suggests "Tarani," which is interesting, in one place, and "Belladonna" in another), BUT she does have something else. Notes. I know she was going to have some thief skills, not the whole set, but some. She was going to have some witch magic. I never got the dreamer class to work well for me, but I was going to use some of the spells.  I am taking all of this, along with some unused ideas for Taryn, and putting them into a blender.

For a class, well, the dreamer won't work, and this character is also not a warlock. She is not a witch, not completely anyway. I'd like to keep some aspects of the witch, but apply it to the thief class. Much like my Gallowglass is to Fighters. 

The Shade

Operating in the liminal places between light and dark, between law and illegality, and between the seen and occult worlds lies the Shade.  Subclasses of the thief they use the same to-hit and saving throw tables. They possess a sub-set of the thief's skills and a few unique to their profession.

Shades are those individuals who dwell at the margins of witchcraft, moving unseen between the powers of the Craft and the unknowing world beyond. Neither initiated into the mysteries of witches nor wholly ignorant of them, a Shade survives by caution, agility, and an instinctive understanding of forbidden boundaries. It is said that Shades are drawn to witchcraft as are witches, but never actually hear the Call of the Goddess (God).

Many Shades serve covens or lodges as messengers, watchers, scouts, or attendants, trusted to act where a witch’s presence would draw too much notice. Others arrive at this role by accident, having lived near old places, survived a failed rite, or been spared by powers that marked them but did not claim them.

Shades possess an uncommon familiarity with occult dangers. They learn where circles are drawn, which paths are watched by spirits, and when to flee rather than fight. Their talents lie in stealth, balance, swift movement, and the reading of subtle signs, and they often excel at tasks requiring silence, precision, and nerve. Witches value Shades not for their power, but for their discretion and survivability. Warlocks seek them out for services that a normal thief would shun. Even Magic-users, Druids and Clerics value a professional with an eye for magical artifacts and items.

Shades operate like thieves but lack some of their key skills.

Shades have the following thief skills: Climb Walls, Find/Remove Traps, Hide in Shadows, Move Silently, Open Locks.

Additionally they have the follow skills unique to their class: Catwalking, Detect Magic, Sleight of Hand.

Shades do not have a sneak attack as do thieves and assassins. They can learn the Thieves Cant, but they must learn it as per any other language (not a free option). Shades of an evil sort can use poison. 

At 6th level a Shade also has limited spellcasting ability. They make cast witch spells from their own list of spells. 

(obviously a lot more to detail here. But that is my one cup of coffee so far effort.)

To test this out lets bring back Dreamer aka Belladonna aka Tarani, but as someone new. For a name? Well, when in doubt use Irish Gaelic! I also think to properly compare this new class I should use a thief with some magic, thankfully I have one on hand.

Aisling Rinceoir
9th level Human Shade, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Performer (Dancer)

S: 12
I: 16
W: 12
D: 17
C: 12
Ch: 16

Paralysis/Poison: 11
Petrify/Polymorph: 10
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 10
Breath Weapon: 14
Spells: 11

AC: 1 (Bracers AC 1)
HP: 36
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Dagger +1 1d4/1d3
Baton +1 1d4

Shade Skills
Cat Walk: 85%
Climb Walls: 94%
Detect Magic: 85%
Find/Remove Traps: 50%
Hide in Shadows: 53%
Move Silently: 60%
Open Locks: 62%
Sleight of Hand: 65%

Spells
First level: Detect Invisibility, Glamour
Second level: Invisibility

Theme Song: Sweet Child O' Mine (First to Eleven cover)

Aisling (Irish for Dream or Dreamer) is no longer Larina's long lost daughter. She is a girl she rescued from in my playtest run of "A Barbarian in Hell" and adopted her as a "little sister." This way she is part of the West Haven Coven without being a full member. Plus I never gave Larina a sister before and I am kinda wishing I had done that.

Now to compare and contrast. I believe you all know Nida.

Nida
Human 4th level Thief / 9th level Witch, Chaotic Neutral

Secondary Skill: Herbalist

S: 11
I: 16
W: 13
D: 17
C: 16
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 11
Petrify/Polymorph: 11
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 12
Breath Weapon: 14
Spells: 13

AC: 6 (leather armor, ring of protection +2)
HP: 21
THAC0: 18

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Familiar: Owl

Spells
First level: Bad Luck, Spell Dart, Minor Fighting Prowess, Blindness, Consecration Ritual (Ritual Spell)
Second level: Alter Self, Evil Eye, Hold Person, Rite of Remote Seeing, Weaken Poison
Third level: Bestow Curse, Dispel Magic, Toad Mind
Fourth level: Mirror Talk, Cloak of Intangible Shadows, Phantom Lacerations
Fifth level: Teleport

Theme Song: Spellbound

So Aisling is thief who has some witch powers and Nida is a witch with a thief's background.

Both characters have been fun in their respective games.

Today I want to talk about demi-human witches. Witchcraft, at least as it is typically portrayed is the the practice of witches, and human witches at that.  Yes there is "Faerie Witchcraft" and there are some ideas about elven witchcraft, but very little on others.

I have talked about goblin witches and I have mentioned gnome witches before. But I want to come back to the idea of Dwarven Witches. I introduced these WAYYY back in 2012 as, the Xothia, or the dwarven word for witch and witchcraft. Since then I have talked about one xothia, Roryn the Xothia of the Rock.

Xothia

The dwarven witch feels isolation from her normal community due the distrust of occult magic among dwarves. This distrust seems to date back in time to the first recorded appearance of dwarven witches, a coincidence that seems too strong to ignore.

In dwarven society, men and women are regarded as equals.  The dwarven witch is seen as contrary to this established reality.  Most dwarven witches feel deep fear when they first hear the Call and either leave their communities or try to suppress what they now know and feel. Dwarven witches often become Solitaries, learning their art and faith directly from the Mother of Dwarves herself.

The social stigma of being a magic-using dwarf is tough to bear; and due their nature, dwarven witches tend to be far more chaotic than the normal dwarf population. While some find content with this life, others are constantly reminded that they will never truly belong, either as a dwarf or as a member of a clan.  Dwarven witches are the rarest form of witch one will encounter. 

Dwarven witches are often described as being more "elf-like" than other dwarves. This is in regard to their manner and their magic. 

Curious note, while many dwarven women grow beards, a female dwarf witch cannot. It seems the magic of witchcraft does not allow them to grow a beard. Consequently a dwarven woman without a beard is often accused of being a witch.

Bess is the grandaughter of Roryn. She is not quite powerful enough to take over for her august ancestor, but maybe in a century she can. Bess sings her spells, so I thought Performer (Singing) was a good choice. 

She is good friends with Doireann (who tries to dance "the Goblin Stomp" anytime Bess sings) and Aisling (who appears tomorrow).

Bess
8th level Dwarven Witch, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Performer (Singing)

S: 12
I: 14
W: 13
D: 11 
C: 16
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 
Petrify/Polymorph: 
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 
Breath Weapon: 
Spells: 

AC: 8 (leather armor +1)
HP: 
THAC0: 

Weapon
Hammer 1d6

Familiar: Rabbit, "His Eminence, Lord Fuzzlelump the Second"

Spells
Cantrips: Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Sound
First level: Blindness, Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, Glamour, Silver Tongue 
Second level: Calm Emotions, Enthrall, Head Strong, Hold Person, Scare
Third level: Danse Macabre, Aphasia, Scry 
Fourth level: Charm Monster, Hallucinatory Terrain 

Theme Song: Gold Dust Woman and The Chain (for her coven)

I used cantrips as I described them yesterday and stuck with bonus spells for her. 

Speaking of singers. You may have noticed that every character has a "theme song." I listen to a lot of music while writing and creating. Some songs stick to characters and other characters come fully formed while I am listening to a song. 

I am grabbing most of these from my two public playlists, Witch Songs and Daughters of Darkness.

I am going back to another old favorite today, Skylla. My girl here has had something of a popularity resurgence since I began talking about her in 2013! She has a new action figure, a mini, appearances in a D&D adventure and the cover of the new D&D 5.5 Dungeon Master's Guide. That's quite an achievement for a character no one but me seemed to remember.

I did stats for Skylla for the 2024 Character Creation Challenge, but I wanted to do her again because there were some ideas I wanted to jell together and she was the perfect choice to try them.

For starters while many of my builds on her are based on my original 2013 post about her, this one is a little closer to her appearance in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight D&D 5e adventure.

Why? Well to be honest I think my version has drifted a bit from the original and I wanted to work off of something others would find more familiar. 

The second reason I picked her is I wanted to try out more "Advanced" ideas found in my Basic-era Witch book. I am also cribbing some ideas from my older AD&D 2nd Ed Witches & Warlocks Netbook. I figure some alchemy of the two will give me some insight on what I would have done circa 1986.

One of the bigger issues I want to tackle is Cantrips. I have a system that works well for "Basic" and most OSR games. There are the rules in Unearthed Arcana. But neither of those sit well with me for an Advanced game.  I want system that works well for all spell casting classes AND represents learning that apprentice spellcasters would have. That is, the minor spells they learned in magic school before having to go out as an adventurer to earn money for more lessons.

Personally I would like the number of cantrips gained be a function of the spellcaster's prime ability. When it gets right down to it, the only thing abilities do that are spellcasting class specific are set a threshold for entry and given an XP bonus. Fighters do get bonuses for high strength in their class functions; hit things and damaging things. Thieves can gain bonuses for their skills due to higher dexterity. Yes, there are limits and maximum spells and spell levels for magic-users and bonus spells for clerics. But for magic-users that does not effect low level characters. So instead of a bonus it is a limit. 

Option #1: Languages = Cantrips

This is the most straight forward approach. The issues here are a character with 18 in their spellcasting ability ends up with 7 Cantrips. I mean I can live with that, but some might think this is high. Another issue is a character with Intelligence of 9 can learn one cantrip. I am fine with that, but the minimum Int for a magic-user is 10.

Option #1.5: Henchmen = Cantrips

Similar is Charisma for number of henchmen. But this is 1 at ability score 3 and 15 at ability score 18. Way too much. 

Option #2: Magical Attack Adj = Cantrips

This uses the Magical Attack Adjustment for number of cantrips learned. This means 1 at ability score 15 and 4 at 18. Sure that works, but I want cantrips as a "magic school" style learning. 

Option #0 The Basic Witch Option

This is the one from my Basic Witch book. 

I would like to see at least 1 for ability score 10, the absolute minimum starting spellcaster, and maybe 5-6 for ability score 18. I like the idea of seven "spells" 6 cantrips and 1 first level spells at 1st level. Bearing in mind that cantrips are simple little spells. If I do this I might drop the bonus spells for high charisma that witches have, or change the bonus structure to include spells and cantrips.  

Maybe a progression like this:

.tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-baqh{text-align:center;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-amwm{font-weight:bold;text-align:center;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-6qw1{background-color:#c0c0c0;text-align:center;vertical-align:top} Ability Score Num. of Cantrips 10-12 1 13-15 2 16-17 3 18-19 4 20 5

That would certainly work. It doesn't over load the character with a lot of spells at first level, it reflects learning apprentice wizards would have (and clerics and witches), and still gives starting spell casters more to do.

I would still say Cantrips can be cast whenever the caster wants. "At Will" to use the modern parlance. 

For Skylla here, I am going to use this new cantrip plan but still my older bonuses for witch spells. Again I am going for a closer version to Witchlight than my version which has "drifted" a bit.

Skylla
7th level Human Witch, Chaotic Evil

Secondary Skill: Alchemist

S: 9
I: 12
W: 14
D: 11
C: 14
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 11
Petrify/Polymorph: 11
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 12
Breath Weapon: 14
Spells: 13

AC: 6 (leather armor, ring of protection +2)
HP: 21
THAC0: 18

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Familiar: Raven "Raven"

Spells
Cantrips: Chill, Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound,  Knot
First level: Faerie Fire, Cause Fear, Detect Invisibility, Glamour, Silent Image
Second level: Invisibility, Hold Person, Phantasmal Spirit,
Third level: Fly, Ghost Ward, Witch Wail
Fourth level: Elemental Armor

Theme Song: Daughters of Darkness

Ok, so a lot of spells for 7th level, but I find I am not that concerned about it. I think this is the cantrip system I can use. I'll try it out with some other characters. 

Oh she has the secondary skill of "Alchemist" because I am performing some strange alchemy here.

 Moving on with my witches and witch types, I want to experiment with a couple more ideas. Namely tieflings. Now I know your average die-hard AD&D 1st ed fan doesn't care for tieflings despite the existence of alu-demons, cambions, and a host of other half-demon types. Tieflings can work well in AD&D, I just have to be clever on how I use them.

Now, since I don't have AD&D rules for tieflings, or even witches, really, written yet, I am going to borrow some ideas. For this set, I am using the Advanced options in my Basic era witch book, the Daughters of Darkness book, my Demon & Devil book, and my Warlock rules for Swords & Wizardry. I am also going to use some characters I have been using for a bit, Amaranth Lilis and Moria Zami.

Both are "tieflings," but I am experimenting with different kinds. Moria has a diabolical heritage, so she has the blood of devils in her veins. As she levels up, she takes on a more and more diabolical appearance. It began with yellow eyes and skin turning blue. Amaranth is a demonic tiefling. Her bloodline comes from succubi. For her, this manifests a little differently. She is not an alu-demon, but she does have wings.

Both characters are part of my current Forgotten Realms run, and both made appearances in my Baldur's Gate III runs. Technically, they are from different eras, so they would not interact, but for today, they are together.

Tieflings

For AD&D 1st ed, I am saying that Tieflings get +1 to Intelligence, +2 to Charisma as bonuses. For penatlties they get -1 to Wisdom and -1 to Constitution. Now, why a bonus for Charisma when they are clearly inhuman? This is Charisma as a force of personality. If I were using Comliness, then I'd have rules on that, but I don't use it. For psionics? Well, I am inclined to give them a -1 or -2% penalty to be honest. I see psionics as a human feature, and they are not human. I also allow tieflings to take one first level Magic-user spell for free. Typically, chill touch, darkness, magic missile, or burning hands. In the case of magic missile, it is always cast as if the tiefling were a 1st-level magic-user.

I am also toying with the idea that Tieflings get Diabolic or Demonic as a bonus language depending on their ancestry. 

Most of the other species distrust Tieflings, humans and half-orcs are neutral, and even other tieflings have a mild distrust. Tieflings only prefer other tieflings if they are from the same ancestry or bloodline. As for class restrictions, I am leaning towards tieflings not becoming paladins or rangers. but I have not made up my mind yet.

Amaranth is a witch, Moria is my playtest magus. I'll detail what that means later on.

Amaranth Lilis
6th level Tiefling (Demonic) Witch,

Secondary Skill: Performer (Dancer)

S: 9
I: 15
W: 15
D: 11
C: 12
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 11
Petrify/Polymorph: 11
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 12
Breath Weapon: 14
Spells: 13

AC: 6 (Leather armor +2)
HP: 13
THAC0: 18

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3
Staff 1d6

Familiar: Raven "Lucifer"

Spells 
First level: Darkness*, Bewitch I, Blindness, Glamour, Silver Tongue, Black Fire
Second level: Bewitch II, ESP, Invisibility, Hold Person
Third level: Abyssal Shield, Aura of Fire

Theme Song: Amaranth

Amaranth was a dancer in a pleasure house in Baldur's Gate on the Sword Coast. That is until she discovered her magic. Now she is a member of the West Haven Coven.

Moria
6th level Tiefling (Diabolic) Magus, Lawful Evil

Secondary Skill: Initiate

S: 14
I: 17
W: 12
D: 15
C: 13
Ch: 20

Paralysis/Poison: 13
Petrify/Polymorph: 11
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 9
Breath Weapon: 13
Spells: 10

AC: 9 (No armor, Dex -1)
HP: 19
THAC0: 19

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Familiar: Hell puppy "Mesphitofleas"

Spells
First level: Darkness*, Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Sleep
Second level: ESP, Ray of Enfeeblement
Third level: Fire Ball, Hold Person

Theme Song: Year Zero

Moria's concept is a very easy one. What if any of those demon-spawn babies born in the 1970s ("Rosemary's Baby", "It's Alive", "The Demon Seed", "The Omen") lived to adulthood. Even as a child she was a baby seed, now she is only going to get worse and I can't wait to see how that goes.

Photo by Lance  Reis

Something a little different today. While I have been picking at some ideas for "Occult D&D," I've been thinking about how D&D 5 handles its subclasses. I like their method for a lot of reasons and it does remind me a bit of AD&D 2nd ed. I would not want to do exactly that for AD&D 1st ed. 

But I can try a few ideas here.

One of these is the Gallowglass.

Gallowglass

Fighter Sub-Class
 "Let the witches weave. I’ll stand at the threshold."

The Gallowglass (from Irish gallóglaigh, "foreign warriors") is a grim, oath-bound warrior of ancestral blood, forged in the crucible of war and old magic. He serves no king, no creed, only the covenant of blood, clan, and circle. More than a mercenary, the Gallowglass is a symbol of protection and fate, often standing as the chosen defender of sacred groves, covens, or matriarchal bloodlines.

Oath-Bound Duty (2nd Level)

The Gallowglass may swear an Oath of Protection to a person, place, cause, or object. When acting in defense of that charge:

• Gains -1 bonus AC, +1 to hit, and +1 to saving throws
• Only one oath may be sworn at a time; takes 1 turn of solemn ritual to invoke
• Breaking an oath causes −2 to all rolls for 24 hours, and disqualifies use of the Aura (3rd level) during that time.

Aura of Awesome Presence (3rd Level) 

The Gallowglass radiates a heavy, eerie stillness in battle—an echo of ancestral power. This functions as a continuous aura out to 10 feet.

• Allies within the aura gain +1 to attack rolls and saving throws vs. fear and charm against enemies of their charge.
• Enemies of their charge within the aura suffer −1 to attack rolls and −1 to morale checks.
• This aura does not stack with Bless or similar effects, but counts as magical for dispelling purposes.

Witch-Blessed Steel (5th Level)

The Gallowglass may undergo a ritual bond with a single weapon (usually a great axe, claymore, or great spear ("gae bolg"). But any medium or large-bladed melee weapon will suffice.

• That weapon becomes +1 magical when wielded by the Gallowglass.
• Once per day, the weapon may deal double damage to undead, spirits, or extraplanar foes.
• This is not spell-based (so can not be dispelled), but a result of binding rites, tattoos, and blood oaths.

Typically, a gallowglass receives these blessings from a patron witch. If there is no witch in the party or where the gallowglass calls home, a witch will appear at the appropriate time to grant the blessings.

Céline
5th level Human Gallowglass (Fighter), Neutral Good

Secondary Skill: Alchemist

S: 16
I: 12 
W: 14
D: 15
C: 12
Ch: 16

Paralysis/Poison: 16
Petrify/Polymorph: 12
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 14
Breath Weapon: 15
Spells: 12

AC: 6 (leather, magic)
HP: 25
THAC0: 16

Weapon
Long sword (Witch Blessed) +1 

Theme Song: Which Witch or Old Religion

 Céline wanted to be a witch. Or, more to the point, she hears the same call that led her older sister to become a witch. But Céline was drawn more to the sword than the book or crucible. Her ancient bloodline included witches, but also grim warriors charged with protecting these witches. Céline took to her role as sword-wielding protector of witches with more enthusiasm than even she thought she would.  Her charge is to protect her older sister Émilie.  

Maybe I should have used a Fighter sheet for her, but this is fine. 

Photo by T LeishToday I want to revisit Áine nic Elatha from the 2021 challenge. She is my "Rules Check" of a witch priestess. Yesterday, I gave you all Branwen (Witch Priestess) and Eira (Wicce). Áine began life as a magic-user, but has switched over to cleric as a "Rules as Written" cleric. 

She is, essentially, a moon witch or a priestess of the Old Faith. Her concept aligns with a cleric. Instead of worshiping the Goddess of the Moon, she worships the Moon cycles themselves, the natural rhythm waxing and waning, full and dark. What I would do is limit her spells to ones witches would use.

Now there is the issue that she has levels of the Magic-user class. This may be how her magic came about. Áine began as a Dragon #43 witch, but this would be her moving from Moldvay Basic to Advanced D&D. 

Turning Undead

One of the cleric's defining features is their ability to turn undead. How do I factor this into the powers of a witch? Something my Witch Priestess and Wicce (at present) can't do. Throughout my development of the witch class I have gone back and forth on whether or not a witch should be able to turn undead, or command them. Over the last 20 years or so I have been in the camp that they should not. Undead turning is one of the things that make the cleric special. Hell, it was why I first played a cleric to be honest; I wanted to play a vampire hunter. I have allowed witches to take a "Turn Undead" spell.

Áine, who is a cleric mechanically speaking, can turn undead. But I dress it up in occult practice, not divine ones. So she does not hold up a holy symbol and ask for a benediction from her god. She lights a candle and rings a small bell. 

I like this. For her. But as I have played this character off and on over the last couple of years I don't think it is a power I want for the Wicce (cleric subclass) or the Witch Priestess (witch advanced class). 

Áine nic Elatha
Human 1st level Magic-user/4th level Cleric
Neutral Good

Secondary Skill: Astrologer

S: 10
I: 14
W: 17
D: 11
C: 12
Ch: 11

Paralysis/Poison: 9
Petrify/Polymorph: 12
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 13
Breath Weapon: 15
Spells: 14

AC: 10 (no armor)
HP: 20
THAC0: 18

Weapon
Staff 1d6

Spells (Cleric)
First level: Cure Light Wounds, Detect Evil, Light, Purify Food & Drink, Remove Fear, Sanctuary 
Second: Augury, Detect Charm, Hold Person, Resist fire

Spells (Magic-user)
First level: Sleep

Turn Undead.

Theme Song: Bell, Book and Candle

In addition to filling the role of a priestess of the old faith, Áine daughter of Elatha, does all the horoscopes for the coven or party. There is no real mechanical benefit here, but if characters act in concordance with their horoscopes then I'd grant them 10 xp or something like that.

 Today's characters are pretty close to my heart. They are my attempts to take my original Netbook of Witches & Warlocks for 2nd Ed AD&D and back convert it to AD&D 1st Edition. 

The CNoW&W was built on my original witch ideas, but trying to fit into the structure of AD&D 2nd ed. Looking at it now, 25+ years later, there is a lot I would have done differently. Indeed, my Basic Era Witch book is exactly that.

There are still some things I want to do with it, though, that I didn't do with the Basic Witches. Among these are witches as divine spellcasters. Branwen and Eira here, two "Celtic" girls who are new to the Daughters of the Flame coven, are my ways to test this.

Branwen is basically a version of Larina if she had continued down the path of a divine witch. For her I am using my CNoW&W rules as written. She will, eventurally, become a Witch-Priestess. Eira is a newer concept, a Wicce. The Wicce is a sub-class of the Cleric, much like a druid is, but with more witch-related spells. You can think of Eira as like Rhiannon before she became evil. 

Branwen
3rd level Human Witch (Witch Priestess), Lawful Good

Secondary Skill: Translator

S: 10
I: 16
W: 16
D: 12
C: 12
Ch: 16

Paralysis/Poison: 13
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 14
Breath Weapon: 16
Spells: 15

AC: 9 (Padded armor)
HP: 12
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3
Sickle 1d4

Familiar: Dove

Spells 
First level: Faerie Fire, Purify Food & Drink, Sanctuary, Portent
Second level: Augury, Charm Person

Theme Song: All Souls Night

Eria
3rd level Human Wicce, Lawful Good

Secondary Skill: Weaver

S: 11
I: 15
W: 16
D: 13
C: 13
Ch: 16

Paralysis/Poison: 10
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 14
Breath Weapon: 16
Spells: 15

AC: 9 (Padded armor)
HP: 14
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3
Sickle 1d4

Familiar: Hare

Special Abilities
Moon Blessed Magicks, Shared Rituals (can cast ritual spells), Sacred Circle, Coven Bond

Spells
First level: Bless, Command, Light, Purify Food & Drink
Second level: Chant, Spiritual Hammer (manifests as a Moon bow)

Theme Song: The Old Ways

Ok. Both of these are great choices; they just differ a bit in spells and how their "occult powers" manifest. 

Also both of the classes need some tweaking, the Wicce starts out more powerful and has less XP needed, but the Witch Priestess begins to over take her at higher levels. Not a deal breaker by any means. Right now both girls are similar enough that the differences are largely minor or even cosmetic.

These two have been a lot of fun to play to be honest and I kinda wish I could play them more often. Plus I would love to do more with the Daughters of the Flame. They were a big deal for me once.

Photo by Juliana Stein from PexelsWelcome to day 2 of the Character Creation Challenge. Today's witch is a return from the 2021 Challenge.

Eireann is/was a Moon Elf Witch for the 4th Edition D&D game. She was also tied very closely to the Forgotten Realms. I had some ideas for her, but some of those went on to be part of Sinéad's character.

For this version, I am going to say that Eireann knew about Sinéad and looked up to her. So much so that like Sinéad in her time, Eireann leaves the Moonshae Isles to make her fortune on the Sword Coast.

Mechanically, she is a Dragon Magazine #43 witch. This is important to me because this is most likely the witch Ed Greenwood talks about in his "Down-to-earth Divinity" article in Dragon #54. Witch obviously had a role to play in the early Forgotten Realms; Ed even says so. 

Eireann is a "Moon Elf" by birth, but she is a "Free Elf" by culture. When she left home, she joined a band of Free Elves and began to travel with them. At second level, she is still with them. 

Her secondary skill is "Midwife." A skill she learned when living on the Moonshae Islands. I will detail all the new Secondary Skills I am developing later on. I am 100% certain that it is a skill that will never see game use in most games. But there will be a case or two in my games where it would happen. Of course it is also great background detail. She joins the Free Elves, and stays because she is a good mid-wife.  For this reason I give her the form of address of "Goodwife" even though she is not married.

I am also still playing around with the idea of "unaligned" in AD&D 1st Ed.

Goodwife Eireann
2nd level Free Elf (Moon) Magic-user/Witch, Unaligned

Secondary Skill: Midwife

S: 10
I: 18
W: 12
D: 10
C: 14
Ch: 15

Paralysis/Poison: 10
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 11
Breath Weapon: 16
Spells: 15

AC: 10 (no armor)
HP: 6
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Familiar: None yet (Dragon #43 witches can get them later on)

Spells (Witch)
First level: Change Self, Charm Man, Cure Wounds

Spells (Magic User)
First level: Read Magic, Sleep

Theme Song: Child of the Meadow

So a lot of old ideas and a lot of new ones as well. 

I feel a little bad that I have neglected this witch in favor of Sinéad. But this also allows me to build a better witch out of her. Essentially, I have taken anything "witchy" I had planned for Sinéad and dumped it all into Eireann. It works well to be honest. 

I have her listed as part of the West Haven coven, but in truth, she is really more of a Solitary Witch. Maybe loosely aligned with it.